Read the Bible in a Year

Each day, we'll post passages so that you can read the Bible in one year. This is part of The Colossians 13:16 Project, sponsored by Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia. You're invited to worship with us Sundays, at 11:00 a.m. or Saturdays, at 6:30 p.m. You may also want to consider joining one our adult Bible Studies: Thursdays at 12:00 noon and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. We also have a full range of programs for children. If you want more information about the church, check out the other blogs. And please feel free to leave any comments.

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Thursday, January 5, 2017

Bible Readings for January 5, 2017

Today our passages are
Genesis 11:1–13:4; Matthew 5:1-26; Psalm 5:1-12; and Proverbs
1:24-28. The readings are the Contemporary English
Version. If you find these readings helpful, please
consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main
Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.

Genesis 11-13:4 (Contemporary
English Version)

Genesis 11

The Tower of Babel

1At first everyone
spoke the same language, 2but after some
of them moved from the east [a] and
settled in Babylonia, [b]3-4they said: Let's build a city with a tower
that reaches to the sky! We'll use hard bricks and tar instead of stone and
mortar. We'll become famous, and we won't be scattered all over the world.
5But when
the LORD came down to look at the city and the tower, 6he said:
These people are working together because they
all speak the same language. This is just the beginning. Soon they will be able
to do anything they want. 7Come on!
Let's go down and confuse them by making them speak different languages--then
they won't be able to understand each other.
8-9So the
people had to stop building the city, because the LORD confused their language
and scattered them all over the earth. That's how the city of Babel [c] got
its name.

The Descendants of Shem

10-11Two years
after the flood, when Shem was one hundred, he had a son named Arpachshad. He
had more children and died at the age of six hundred. This is a list of his
descendants:
12When
Arpachshad was thirty-five, he had a son named Shelah. 13Arpachshad had more children and died at the age of four
hundred thirty-eight.
14When
Shelah was thirty, he had a son named Eber. 15Shelah had more children and died at the age of four
hundred thirty-three.
16When
Eber was thirty-four, he had a son named Peleg. 17Eber had more children and died at the age of four
hundred sixty-four.
18When
Peleg was thirty, he had a son named Reu. 19Peleg had more children and died at the age of two
hundred thirty-nine.
20When
Reu was thirty-two he had a son named Serug. 21Reu had more children and died at the age of two hundred
thirty-nine.
22When
Serug was thirty, he had a son named Nahor. 23Serug had more children and died at the age of two
hundred thirty.
24When
Nahor was twenty-nine, he had a son named Terah. 25Nahor had more children and died at the age of one
hundred forty-eight.

The Descendants of Terah

26-28After Terah
was seventy years old, he had three sons: Abram, Nahor, and Haran, who became
the father of Lot. Terah's sons were born in the city of Ur in Chaldea, [d] and
Haran died there before the death of his father. The following is the story of
Terah's descendants. 29-30Abram married
Sarai, but she was not able to have any children. And Nahor married Milcah, who
was the daughter of Haran and the sister of Iscah.
31Terah
decided to move from Ur to the land of Canaan. He took along Abram and Sarai and
his grandson Lot, the son of Haran. But when they came to the city of Haran,
[e] they
decided to settle there instead. 32Terah
lived to be two hundred five years old and died in Haran.

Genesis 12

The LORD Chooses Abram

1The LORD said to
Abram:
Leave your country, your family, and your
relatives and go to the land that I will show you. 2I will bless you and make your descendants into a great
nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others. 3I will bless anyone who blesses you, but I will put a
curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. Everyone on earth will be blessed
because of you. [f]4-5Abram was seventy-five years old when the
LORD told him to leave the city of Haran. He obeyed and left with his wife
Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and slaves they had gotten while
in Haran.
When they came to the land of Canaan, 6Abram went as far as the sacred tree of
Moreh in a place called Shechem. The Canaanites were still living in the land at
that time, 7but the LORD appeared to
Abram and promised, "I will give this land to your family forever." Abram then
built an altar there for the LORD.
8Abram
traveled to the hill country east of Bethel and camped between Bethel and Ai,
where he built another altar and worshiped the LORD. 9Later, Abram started out toward the Southern Desert.

Abram in Egypt

10-11The crops
failed, and there was no food anywhere in the land. So Abram and his wife Sarai
went to live in Egypt for a while. But just before they got there, he said,
"Sarai, you are really beautiful! 12When
the Egyptians see how lovely you are, they will murder me because I am your
husband. But they won't kill you. 13Please save my life by saying that you are my sister."
14As soon
as Abram and Sarai arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians noticed how beautiful she
was. 15The king's [g]
officials told him about her, and she was taken to his house. 16The king was good to Abram because of Sarai, and Abram
was given sheep, cattle, donkeys, slaves, and camels. 17Because of Sarai, the LORD struck the king and everyone
in his palace with terrible diseases. 18Finally, the king sent for Abram and said to him, "What
have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me Sarai was your wife? 19Why did you make me believe she was your
sister? Now I've married her. Take her and go! She's your wife."
20So the
king told his men to let Abram and Sarai take their possessions and leave.

Genesis 13

Abram and Lot Separate

1Abram and Sarai
took everything they owned and went to the Southern Desert. Lot went with them.
2Abram
was very rich. He owned many cattle, sheep, and goats, and had a lot of silver
and gold. 3Abram moved from place to
place in the Southern Desert. And finally, he went north and set up his tents
between Bethel and Ai, 4where he had
earlier camped and built an altar. There he worshiped the LORD.

Genesis 12:3Everyone. . . you: Or "Everyone on earth will ask
me to bless them as I have blessed you."

Genesis 12:15The
king's: The Hebrew text has "Pharaoh's," a Hebrew word sometimes used for
the king of Egypt.

Matthew 5:1-26 (Contemporary
English Version)

Matthew 5

The Sermon on the Mount

1When Jesus saw
the crowds, he went up on the side of a mountain and sat down. [a]
Jesus' disciples gathered around him,

Blessings

(Luke 6.20-23)

2and he taught
them:
3God
blesses those people
who depend only on him.
They belong to the kingdom
of heaven! [b]4God blesses those people
who grieve.
They will find comfort!
5God
blesses those people
who are humble.
The earth will belong
to them!
6God
blesses those people
who want to obey him [c]
more than to eat or drink.
They will be given
what they want!
7God
blesses those people
who are merciful.
They will be treated
with mercy!
8God
blesses those people
whose hearts are pure.
They will see him!
9God
blesses those people
who make peace.
They will be called
his children!
10God
blesses those people
who are treated badly
for doing right.
They belong to the kingdom
of heaven. [d]11God will bless you when people insult
you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil lies about you because of me. 12Be happy and excited! You will have a
great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived
long ago.

Salt and Light

(Mark 9.50; Luke 14.34,35)

13You are like
salt for everyone on earth. But if salt no longer tastes like salt, how can it
make food salty? All it is good for is to be thrown out and walked on.
14You
are like light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be
hidden, 15and no one would light a
lamp and put it under a clay pot. A lamp is placed on a lampstand, where it can
give light to everyone in the house. 16Make your light shine, so that others will see the good
that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.

The Law of Moses

17Don't suppose
that I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets. [e] I
did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning. 18Heaven and earth may disappear. But I
promise you that not even a period or comma will ever disappear from the Law.
Everything written in it must happen. 19If you reject even the least important command in the Law
and teach others to do the same, you will be the least important person in the
kingdom of heaven. But if you obey and teach others its commands, you will have
an important place in the kingdom. 20You must obey God's commands better than the Pharisees
and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don't, I promise you that you will
never get into the kingdom of heaven.

Anger

21You know that
our ancestors were told, "Do not murder" and "A murderer must be brought to
trial." 22But I promise you that if
you are angry with someone, [f]
you will have to stand trial. If you call someone a fool, you will be taken to
court. And if you say that someone is worthless, you will be in danger of the
fires of hell. 23So if you are about
to place your gift on the altar and remember that someone is angry with you,
24leave your gift there in front of
the altar. Make peace with that person, then come back and offer your gift to
God.
25Before you are dragged into court, make friends with the
person who has accused you of doing wrong. If you don't, you will be handed over
to the judge and then to the officer who will put you in jail. 26I promise you that you will not get out
until you have paid the last cent you owe.

Footnotes:

Matthew 5:1sat
down: Teachers in the ancient world, including Jewish teachers, usually sat
down when they taught.

Matthew 5:3They
belong to the kingdom of heaven: Or "The kingdom of heaven belongs to
them."

Matthew 5:6who
want to obey him: Or "who want to do right" or "who want everyone to be
treated right."

Matthew 5:10They
belong to the kingdom of heaven: See the note at 5.3.

Matthew 5:17the
Law and the Prophets: The Jewish Scriptures, that is, the Old
Testament.

Matthew 5:22someone: In verses 22-24 the Greek text has
"brother," which may refer to people in general or to other
followers.

Psalm 5:1-12 (Contemporary
English Version)

Psalm 5

(A psalm by David for the music leader. Use
flutes.)

A Prayer for Help

1Listen, LORD,
as I pray!
Pay attention when I groan. [a]2You are my King and my God.
Answer my cry for help
because I pray to you.
3Each
morning you listen
to my prayer,
as I bring my requests [b] to
you and wait for your reply.
4You
are not the kind of God
who is pleased with evil.
Sinners can't stay with you.
5No one
who boasts can stand
in your presence, LORD,
and you hate evil people.
6You
destroy every liar,
and you despise violence
and deceit.
7Because of your great mercy,
I come to your house, LORD,
and I am filled with wonder
as I bow down
to worship
at your holy temple.
8You do
what is right,
and I ask you to guide me.
Make your teaching clear
because of my enemies.
9Nothing they say is true!
They just want to destroy.
Their words are deceitful
like a hidden pit,
and their tongues are good
only for telling lies.
10Punish them, God,
and let their own plans
bring their downfall.
Get rid of them!
They keep committing crimes
and turning against you.
11Let
all who run to you
for protection
always sing joyful songs.
Provide shelter for those
who truly love you
and let them rejoice.
12Our
LORD, you bless those
who live right,
and you shield them
with your kindness.

Proverbs 1:24-28
(Contemporary English Version)

24You
completely ignored me
and refused to listen;
25you
rejected my advice
and paid no attention
when I warned you.
26"So
when you are struck
by some terrible disaster,
27or
when trouble and distress
surround you like a whirlwind,
I will laugh and make fun.
28You
will ask for my help,
but I won't listen;
you will search,
but you won't find me. Verse of the
Day“Wash yourselves clean! I am disgusted with your
filthy deeds. Stop doing wrong and learn to live right. See that justice is
done. Defend widows and orphans and help those in need.” - Isaiah 1:16-17

Italian
novelist, literary critic, philosopher, semiotician, and university professor,
Umberto Eco wrote, “Not
long ago, if you wanted to seize political power in a country you had merely to
control the army and the police. Today it is only in the most backward countries
that fascist generals, in carrying out a coup d'état, still use tanks. If a
country has reached a high degree of industrialization the whole scene changes.
The day after the fall of Khrushchev, the editors of Pravda, Izvestiia, the
heads of the radio and television were replaced; the army wasn't called out.
Today a country belongs to the person who controls
communications.”